It's been a great tomato growing season here in NW PA. I've only had to water a couple of times and they have grown like gangbusters! The Pineapple tomato is one of my all-time favorites.
Photo: Fresh picked Pineapple tomatoes.........bigger then softballs!
early_bloomer
This message was edited Sep 3, 2011 7:27 PM
Looking good....how's the flavor?
I've grown these almost every year down here in S Fla and they are a very tasty, colorful and large bi-color. You need to eat them quickly tho as they don't last too long on the shelf.
Flip
What a yummy platter! I'm envious!
These are sweet with low acidity. Flip is right. These don't keep long.
early_bloomer
Flip, where have you been? LOL
Early Bloomer, that variety as well as about several hundred other gold/red bicolors don't have low acidity although I agree that many seed sites do say that.
The internal pH of all tomato varieties tested to date, with just a few exceptions, have almost the same acidity which isn't really all that acidic. What happens with the so called whites and pale ones is that the high sugar concentration masks the normal acidity.
The best know documented low acid variety is Jet Star F1 and while all varieties used for canning by the open water boiling method should be acidicfied Jet Star is a MUST.
Carolyn
I had to comment on the question regarding taste. Yes, my pineapples were huge in size and strikingly beautiful in color. However, the taste was not sweet, mild, or acidic--it was just bland--no taste at all. Growing conditions were the same as all my other tomatoes. Since these were plants purchased from a local greenhouse, I will try again next year using my own seeds.
Hi Carolyn,
After last season's miseries I went away for a while, learned to distinguish poison from fertilizer and now I'm refreshed and ready to start a new season. Actually, I'm potting some up today; seedlings looking pretty good. I'm staying with mostly my faves but looking forward to trying some new ones also. I'll start a thread again in a few weeks with lists, etc. Hope you're doing well and enjoying the US Open.
Flip
Carolyn, Thanks for the info. I'd always assumed that yellow tomatoes are less acidic then red varieties--probably because I've been hearing people say that ever since I was a kid. Another old wives tale put to rest!
early_bloomer
Pineapple is my only total flop. I have planted it
twice now (Carolyn's rule) and have gotten nary one
tom for my efforts. I have read enough rave reviews
that I am willing (reluctantly) to give pineapple that
third strike, but if I don't even get to taste it this time,
it will join Garden Peach, Big Boy, Bigger Boy, Early
Girl, Late Girl, Bad Girl and a couple others on my
burn pile.
"The internal pH of all tomato varieties tested to date, with just a few exceptions, have almost the same acidity which isn't really all that acidic. What happens with the so called whites and pale ones is that the high sugar concentration masks the normal acidity."
-----------------------------------
And I've found that the high sugar concentration only comes when tomatoes are fully ripe, so there can be a big range of perceived "acidity" depending on ripeness.
Carolyn, one of the strains I'm carrying on from the cross I made in 2009 is the "yellow" one from this year's F2 Plant #3. When those started ripening a beautiful bright yellow color I was surprised (and kind of disappointed) at how tart the flavor was. They were pretty sour and "acidic".
I finally realized it's not a yellow tomato at all - it's at least "gold" and might even be called "light orange" when fully ripe. When they're ripe they're quite sweet and the flavor balances out real well with the tartness. If I can get that strain stabilized into a new OP variety, I think "gold" should be in the name so people won't pick them when they're bright yellow, under-ripe, and seemingly "acidic".
Hmmmm...Dr. Ozark's German Gold???
After the two Pineapple strikeouts, the third time was a charm. I grew it here is So.
Cal. and it proved to be a tomato machine churning out loads of great tasting
tomatoes. While they didn't make my top five list, they certainly earned a spot on
my summer garden. It tastes great and looks great sliced or in a salad. In short, I
now agree with the earlier raves on this thread.
